Gutter Clutter

Chloe from Red Hill

Our house has alot of trees around it, so our gutters are blocked continuously. It seems whenever it rains we have to get up on the roof to clean the gutters out in a frenzy. We know there is a ... continue reading

Ducted Vacuums

Ben from Mentone

Hi, we are building a new house and would like to have ducted Vacuuming put in, we are not sure where to start with it or who can install it for us. Can you give me a contact and some basic info on ... continue reading

Outdoor Room

Jason from Edithvale

I would like to enclose my pergola to get more use out of the area but I would like to make it cost effective and avoid the messy planning approval process. Am I wanting too ... continue reading

Blinds with Minds

June from Mt. Martha

We have some ferocious winds come off the bay where we live and have lost an outdoor umbrella and a couple of sheets of pergola skylight over the years. I have been told there is a shade system that ... continue reading

Show all Q & A

Queues to be green at Peninsula tips

posted 2 weeks, 6 days, 15 hours, 19 minutes ago

A RECORD amount of green waste was dumped at Mornington Peninsula tips on April 21-22 as residents took advantage of a no-charge weekend. ... continue reading

Is Your Building Inspector Qualified?

posted 2 weeks, 6 days, 15 hours, 45 minutes ago

Issues surrounding the Building Commission and the use of unregistered inspectors have received a lot of media attention in recent ... continue reading

Freedom Tower officially NYC’ tallest building

posted 2 weeks, 6 days, 16 hours, 8 minutes ago

The Empire State Building has been pipped by a very large post making Freedom Tower the tallest building in ... continue reading

E-View Real Estate have a new listing

posted 3 weeks, 4 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes ago

117/ Lot 12 Hade Ave, Bass, 3991 is now on the market! This stylish new home is positioned at the gateway to Phillip Island, Inverlock & Wilsons Prom and ideal for new home buyers, investors and for ... continue reading

Show all News

THE Home Building Seminar

Saturday 1:00 pm, 2nd June 2012

Here from peak body experts in the field speak about the latest trends and ... continue reading

Owner Builder - 3hr Workshop

Saturday 1:00 pm, 9th June 2012

Learn about 'doing it yourself' in this informative FREE ... continue reading

Building Network Breakfast

Wednesday 7:15 am, 20th June 2012

Join the leaders in the industry to discuss the reasons behind the massive shift by the major retailers and companies to the Mornington Peninsula. What is the attraction? ... continue reading

Green Design - 3hr Workshop

Saturday 1:00 pm, 23rd June 2012

Learn about how you can have a Energy Efficient Home in this informative FREE ... continue reading

Show all Events

Show all Courses

Timber Flooring

Timber flooring in your home is not just an attractive flooring option, but is practical to clean, timeless in appearance and long lasting.

Timber Floorboards

Traditional Hardwood Flooring

Timber flooring is beautiful; relatively maintenance free & depending on the timber can be virtually indestructable. Timber flooring holds character which cannot be matched by any other flooring type. The natural knots and colours in timber will enhance and changed in colour over time, making the floor truely unique.

Allergies 

Timber flooring in your home is not just an attractive option, but is very sensible for people who suffer from Asthma, Hay Fever and other allergies. The reason being that timber flooring is protected by a tough layer of polyurethane sealer. This means that no dust mites and particles can inhibit the flooring, unlike carpet etc, therefore triggering allergies.

Timbers

There are a number of timbers that can be used in Timber Flooring, each having there own characteristics and colour. Some of these include: Alpine Ash, Tasmanian Oak, Jarrah, Spotted Gum, Pine, Blackbutt, Blue Gum and the list goes on.....

You can mix timbers to create patterns, or just have a dramatic colour variation and pattern. Some of the patterns you can have include: Parquetry (criss cross), Square on Square, Herringbone, Brick, Borders, Solid Corners, Mitred and Staggered.

Refinishing Hardwood Floors

There is certainly a trend today of restoring older homes. As this continues to be a popular move, more and more people are pulling up existing flooring to find that underneath they have the makings of a beautiful Timber Floor. Refinishing hardwood floors can be easy to do yourself, and you can also save a lot of money this way. 

Preparation

Once you have removed the old carpet, vinyl etc and found the timber flooring you will need to remove the bonded pads, which were holding down the old floor. This can be done by scraping them off with a putty knife. Electric sanders can also be used if the pads are too hard to remove by hand.

Sanding

Local hire shops will generally hire out electric floor sanders. Start by sanding the floors with the coarsest sand paper first, do this about 3 times, each time using a finer sand paper. It is important that you keep moving at a steady pace, to avoid uneven patches. Corners are often sanded too much, because of the machine passing over them more often, so be careful here. Often there will be areas which the electric sander cannot get into; these patches can be done by hand using the same process of using the finer sand paper gradually. Once the floors have been sanded 3 times over, you should be ready to stain them. You should now clean the area; a vacuum clean will do, by getting rid of all the extra dirt and dust.

Staining

After you select a stain for your flooring, you will need to gather up some old rags and old clothes etc to help with this process. Apply the stain in a circular motion with the rags. Try to apply evenly to avoid any colour inconsistencies. The product should display the drying time and other important information on the label. If the stain is too light after the first application, you can repeat until you achieve the desired colour.

Buffing

Buffing is the next step. Once again, you can hire a buffer from a hire shop. You will need to ask how to operate the buffer before you take it home, because sometimes they can be difficult to opertate. Take it slowly at first until you get the hang of it. Again you will need to remove any dust or dirt.

Finally  

The floor will then be ready for its first coat of polyurethane. The easiest way to apply this is by using a mop. This will be easier on your body, rather than going around on your hands and knees for hours. Once the recommended drying time is over, repeat the process twice more making it 3 coats of polyurethane in total.

FINISHED!

Now your hardwood floors should be ready to go! You should wait about 2 or 3 days before using the room to ensure that everything is right. You should also wait a week before putting any rugs down. You wouldn't want them sticking to the floor would you?!

HIDC Exhibitor(s) who specialise in this area;

Floors 2 Live

Mountain Timber Products

Perfect Timber Floors

Royal Oak Floors

Southern Timber Floors